Gwyl Haf Santes Eluned Summer Fair

1 August 2018

Building on the success of last year’s St Eluned’s Day Festival, we’re planning a day of walks, children’s crafts, music, storytelling, dancing and more to highlight our rich local Welsh history and culture.

The Christian story in and around Brecon goes back more than 1500 years. That long history is visible in the many parish churches, Brecon Cathedral (formerly a Norman Priory), holy wells, and an abundance of local saints. Brecon even has it’s own saint, Eluned: according to tradition she lived on Slwch during the 5th or 6th century, and was decapitated by her would-be suitor for rejecting his advances. According to the same traditions, a spring appeared where her head landed, which became a holy well.

The day will have activities for people of all ages and interests. There’ll be plenty of food, a specially named beer, music on traditional Welsh instruments, and medieval re-enactors.

In the evening, we’ll have a Welsh Eucharist followed by a short conference on the religious heritage of Wales. The keynote speaker will be:

Dr Kathryn Hurlock

Senior Lecturer in Medieval History at Manchester Metropolitan University.

Her talk is entitled,

“I am healed by the sight of you’: sensing pilgrimage in late medieval Wales.’

The day ends with a traditional Twmpath in the Cathedral. For those unfamiliar with Wales, a Twmpath is like a Scottish ceilidh.